Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i MacLife

THE CAMERA AND Photos apps have some great advanced features, and there are plenty more handy apps out there to make use of your iPhone’s augmented and mixed reality capabilities. In Photos, Visual Look Up gives instant access to information about things in your photograph. This includes landmarks, pets, flowers, books, works of art and more. It’s easy to use. Open a photograph in the Photos app. At the foot of the screen there’s an “i” (in a circle) icon, which gives information about the photo. If this icon is augmented by a star, or changes shape to resemble something in the photo, Visual Look Up is available. Tap the icon and, at the top of the panel that pops up, is an option marked “Look Up [Object]”. Tap this…

AS LONG AS you’re running iOS 17, the Maps app can download maps and use them offline. This is very useful if you’re traveling to areas with poor cell phone coverage. To download a map area, first tap your account icon, next to the Search field. Tap Offline Maps, and your current location is offered as a suggestion. If that’s not what you want, tap the Download New Map link. From here, you can search for the location you want to download, or choose it from the list of recent searches. On the next screen, you’re shown the area you’re choosing to download. Drag the map behind the box, and/or resize the box by dragging its handles. When you’re ready, tap Download. The map is then available for offline use. To…

MANY MAC USERS stick with the default macOS desktop and icons but you don’t have to! Instead, you can get stuck in and give your system a visual overhaul that will make the desktop stand apart from other Macs. There are loads of things you can do and they’re all relatively simple. It’s even possible to give your machine a regular fresh look — choose an aerial wallpaper, for instance, and you can shuffle through them as quickly as every 12 hours. With custom color schemes, alterations to the Dock and an ability to swap out default file and folder icons for new ones, you can really dive deep. It’s also possible to alter how individual apps look when operating in Dark Mode so why not delve into Mail’s settings…

KANBAN VIEWS ARE PERFECT FOR GETTING A HIGH–LEVEL OVERVIEW OF A PROJECT AND ITS TASKS FOR YEARS, APPLE’S Reminders app has used a list view to keep your tasks organized. This shows your to–do list items one on top of the other, and is great for staying on top of shopping or to–do lists. But it’s not ideal for anything like project management, where tasks can go through multiple statuses (such as “in progress” or “to be checked”). Fortunately, Apple has fixed that in the macOS Sonoma update by adding a kanban view to Reminders. This shows all your tasks in a series of columns, and you can easily drag and drop tasks from one area to another. So, if you have a piece of work that has just been…

BETWEEN 1997 AND 2002, Apple used the advertising slogan “think different”. Fast forward to today and that long–running campaign is a distant memory, yet the sentiment behind it is very much alive. You can see the difference when looking at how Apple has set modern Macs apart from “normal” computers. Rather than have separate central and graphics processing units — CPU and GPU — and Random Access Memory (RAM) components, Apple silicon Macs make use of a System–on–a–Chip (SoC). And that move has made them very powerful indeed. One of the big decisions rolled out in the creation of the cutting–edge proprietary M1 chip in 2020 was the introduction of unified memory. As well as integrating components such as the CPU, GPU, I/O controllers and Apple’s Neural Engine (the specialized…

APPLE WATCH IS the ultimate health and fitness device. Use it to set goals and track the progress of various kinds of workout. Or record your heartbeat and rhythm via the ECG app, monitor blood oxygen levels (no longer available on new Series 9 and Ultra devices), benefit from cardio fitness level estimates, and utilize Fall Detection which will sound an alarm and give the option of making an emergency call. Apple Watch can also track your menstrual cycle, manage medications, and help with mindfulness in their respective apps. It’ll even track sleep and, with later models, track your nightly wrist temperature too. Delve into the Settings app where many features can be activated and controlled. It’s also worth seeking to improve your Watch’s accuracy. Turn on your iPhone’s Location…

Andrew Cottle Art Editor Andrew is pushing on with his drive to be more active and finding out how Apple devices can support him, by reading David’s “Get Fit and Healthy in 2024” on page 50. Rachel Terzian Production Editor Rachel enjoys discovering new ways that her iPhone can help make her life easier (p12) — from Siri’s handy functions to making the most of Safari, setting up a Focus, and more. David Crookes Contributor Some people still write into a physical diary! While that’s no bad thing, David shows you how Apple’s new Journal app can be even better (p59).…

WHETHER YOU’RE NEW to iPhone, a recent upgrader or have owned an Apple smartphone for several years, this guide takes a deep dive into some must–try tips, tricks and secrets that take your iPhone–owning experience to another level — and also makes you the envy of all your Android–using friends! Even if you’re an experienced iPhone user, there might be features offered by its apps and the iOS 17 operating system of which you’re not aware. That’s what we’re looking at here. Did you know, for example, that swiping an email left or right in the iPhone’s Mail app reveals additional options? Or that you can unsend messages and emails after you’ve sent them? Or that you can identify features in photographs and automatically look up information on them? Or…

ONE OF THE best things about the iPhone’s Health app is its versatility. You can link many health–related apps offered by third parties to your Apple Health app, allowing health and medical data gleaned by the third–party app to be imported into Health. This is especially useful for apps that support health–related peripherals such as smart scales, fitness monitors and blood pressure meters. Set up your device, pair it with its dedicated app and then link that app with Health, and information it records is imported into your Health app. To link a third–party app with Health, open the Health app and tap your account picture in the top–right corner. Under Privacy, tap Apps and Services and then tap the app you want to link. Choose what you want to share…

PRIOR TO MACOS Sonoma, widgets lived in Notification Center. To see them, you had to click on the date and time in the menu bar or swipe the trackpad. They would then slide out and display info, for you to slide them away again. But now, in macOS Sonoma, widgets sit on the desktop. And widgets are now interactive. As well as reading info, you can click on them. You can, for example, turn a device on or off in the Home widget, or mark a to–do in the Reminders widget as completed. Widgets can be resized and moved around, and you can use them for apps on your iPhone, even if you don’t have the Mac app installed. If you have both iPhone and Mac apps installed, you will see…

ORIGINALLY LAUNCHED FOR iPhone in March 2023, Apple Music Classical has finally arrived on iPad, making it easy to enjoy your favorite classical works and composers, while also discovering entirely new ones. To use Apple Music Classical, your iPad must be running iPadOS 15.4 or later, and you’ll need a valid Apple Music subscription (from $10.99/month). Without one, you’ll be able to browse, but not listen to, any of the works available on the service, though you can also sync tracks from your own music library. Just like Apple Music, Apple Music Classical comes with ready–made playlists for when you just want to get listening quickly, or you can take a deep dive into individual genres, eras and composers to discover works you may not have come across before. While…

FITNESS+HAS BEEN around since December 2020, offering a wide range of video workouts featuring top fitness professionals. Available for the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, it’s akin to having a stack of fitness DVDs to hand without needing to take up loads of living space (or indeed a DVD player!). The big difference is that Fitness+ incorporates workout metrics from your Apple Watch so, as well as following on–screen guides and routines, you can see how your body is performing. METRICS AND MOTIVATION Before we take a closer look, it’s worth pointing out that this service doesn’t come for free — long–term at least. You can sometimes grab a free trial (usually when you buy a new device) but, in general, you’re going to be paying $9.99/month or $79.99 annually…

CREATING AND MAINTAINING a journal is simple enough in theory but, in practice, three things usually get in the way. First, you may find yourself unsure of what to include. Second, you may forget to keep your Journal up to date. And third, you worry that others may catch sight of your digital diary and decide to take a look. As we’ve already noted, Apple has addressed the first hurdle. You’ll also be delighted to learn that it has answers to the other two problems too, Journal lets you set up reminders so that you won’t forget to keep checking in. There’s also a lock that makes use of Face ID to keep the app’s contents hidden from prying eyes. In fact, Apple takes your privacy very seriously. All of…

CURRENT RUMORS SUGGEST that the Vision Pro’s virtual keyboard is borderline unusable. Supposedly, people who’ve had access say that you can only really peck at letters like it’s your first time interacting with the concept of “buttons”. Of course, the Vision Pro works with Bluetooth keyboards, so there’s a workaround when you’re in mixed reality mode, but this won’t be such a great fix if you’re fully immersed in its VR mode. The absurdity of a floating virtual keyboard that you need to type on by hitting air got me thinking, though. With speech recognition improvements, part of the idea is probably that you never need to type anything in the future. All your logins would be managed, and you can just say anything else you want. THE FUTURE AND…

APPLE’S KEY COMMUNICATION and note–taking apps have some awesome features. In the iPhone’s email client, Mail, for example, you can swipe an email message right to access more options; tap the Unread icon to mark that email as unread, or tap Remind Me to set up a reminder about the email, so you can deal with it later. If you swipe that email left, different options present themselves. Tap the Trash icon to delete it, the Flag icon to mark it with a flag or More for an options window that lets you reply, forward, archive the message and more, without actually opening it. TAKE NOTE The Hide My Email feature lets you send an email without giving the recipient your email address. Before you send it, tap the From…

QUICK LOOK Get the most out of your web apps SAFARI IS A great way to view a website, but you can easily find yourself opening multiple tabs featuring all your favorites. With macOS Sonoma, you can keep your web browser bar a little cleaner by turning websites into web apps that can be launched directly from the Dock. They have simplified toolbars that can even be removed, and they behave just like any other app. There are many benefits to be had. As well as working with Stage Manager and Mission Control, web apps are separate from Safari. Any cookies, settings, data and browsing history amassed while using the web app is solely contained within the web app, too — although cookies are initially copied from Safari when a…

TO KEEP UP with Apple’s ongoing focus to protect user privacy, Private Browsing in Safari has been beefed up with even more features that shield from prying eyes. Most web browsers’ private modes will delete your search history when you finish a session, and they won’t store autofill information. However, Safari goes further. Private Browsing in Safari means all known trackers are blocked from loading on web pages, and any characters added to web addresses in order to track you are stripped. In macOS Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma running Safari 17 or later, private browsing windows now lock after a period of inactivity or when your Mac sleeps. This Locked Private Browsing requires Touch ID, Face ID or a passcode or password to unlock. Your Mac will have this on by…

WHILE APPLE RESERVES the biggest, most newsworthy changes for its operating systems for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch, it likes to tinker from time to time with tvOS too. And that’s what it’s been doing with tvOS 17, tvOS 17.1, and now tvOS 17.2. To make the most of the updates you will, of course, need an Apple TV 4K (from $129), and maybe even a HomePod or HomePod mini, as one of the biggest changes Apple brought to tvOS 17.1 was an Enhance Dialogue feature that makes speech in TV shows and movies stand out more from background sounds, although it only works when teamed with a HomePod. The latest update, tvOS 17.2, has also deprecated two Apple–created apps: Movies (iTunes) and TV Shows (iTunes). Now when you select them…

JOURNALING MAY SOUND like a chore — yet another task to add to your already busy life. But if you change your mindset on that, it could literally help your mindset! Keeping a diary has been scientifically proven to be hugely beneficial. By regularly thinking about the moments and events that shape your days, you can become more reflective and self–aware. Writing regular entries in a journal can prove inspiring and help you to maintain positive mental health. Understanding this, Apple has rolled out the Journal app for your iPhone (it’s not yet known if or when it will make an appearance on the iPad or Mac). You will see the app when you upgrade your device to iOS 17.2 or later and, when you launch it, you’ll quickly discover…

From $3,499 From www.apple.com Features micro–OLED display (23 million pixels); refresh rates: 90Hz, 96Hz, 100Hz; 6.5MP Stereoscopic 3D camera; Wi–Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3; M2 and R1 chips; iris‑based authentication “WHAT THE HECK is happening?” That’s what I said to myself as I played virtual DJ, spinning two records in front of me with a cross–fade knob and special effects I could control with my hands in mid–air. I just reached out and touched them. I had a similar moment when I just looked at my MacBook to connect and supersize its display on the wall right in front of me. Then I pinned the Apple Music app to the left of my desk and Slack to the right. This is what Apple means by spatial computing. And I was…

$220 From www.astellnkern.com Features 3.5mm/4.4mm headphone connectors, USB/Lightning cables, 1.09oz THE HC4 IS the latest addition to Astell & Kern’s popular range of portable DACs (digital audio converters). At $220 it’s a little more expensive than the HC2 and HC3 models (which still remain on sale). All three models provide high–quality digital audio output, but they all have slightly different features. Like most Astell & Kern products, the HC4 has a chunky design, with A&K’s distinctive sharp angles on the top. It’s slightly larger than some of its rivals as it includes both a standard 3.5mm headphone connector and a 4.4mm connector for high–end audiophile headphones. Unlike most portable DACs, it also has a volume control on the side. Even so, it only weighs 1.09oz and measures just 1.16in[W] x 2.54in[H]…